James Anderson will miss the start of England's Test tour of Pakistan in his new role as bowling coach to compete in a golf tournament at St. Andrews.
England will begin their first Test in Multan on Monday, but will be without Anderson's guidance. The former fast bowler, who retired earlier this year, has since maintained his presence with the side in a coaching capacity. However, he will miss all of England's preparation for the Test in order to play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a pro-am golf tournament on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland.
Anderson played a significant role in England's historic series win on their last visit to Pakistan, taking eight wickets at 18.50 and forming a highly valuable partnership with Ollie Robinson. Robinson and Mark Wood have since praised Anderson's role as a bowling mentor to them on that tour, with both also playing key roles in the series win. However, none of those three will take the field in Pakistan this time around, with Anderson retired, Wood suffering from an elbow injury and Robinson dropped earlier in the year.
In their places, England have selected a vastly inexperienced seam attack outside of Chris Woakes, who is embarking on his first tour in Asia since 2016. Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse will make up the rest of the attack, with Stone the only one of those players capped overseas. Ben Stokes is also a doubt for the first Test and, even if he is fit to play as a batter, his fitness to bowl is even more precarious as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury which kept him out of England's Test series against Sri Lanka.
Ben Stokes has been out of action since his injury in early August and missed the series win against Sri Lanka.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 4, 2024
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There are also other complications around England's attack for the first Test. Stone is due to get married next Saturday (October 12), having been selected for England for the first time in three years this summer. Even if he plays the first Test, which could finish 48 hours before his wedding day, he will be unlikely to play the second, which starts the following Tuesday.
Anderson is reportedly in daily contact with the inexperienced pace attack while taking part in the tournament at St. Andrews. However, he will not arrive in Pakistan to join the side until the second day of the first Test.
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